Niccolò Ammanitiwas born in Rome in 1966. He made his debut in fiction in 1995 with the novel Branchie. He is the author of award-winning novels and short stories, which are translated in 44 countries: Fango (1996), Ti prendo e ti porto via (1999), Io non ho paura (2001, Premio Viareggio), Come Dio comanda (2006, Premio Strega), Che la festa cominci (2009), Io e te (2010), Il momento è delicato (2012) and Anna (2015). In 2014 he edited the anthology Figuracce, which includes the short story Marco Risi contro la Maga della Maglianella.

Many of his books have been successfully made into films: L’ultimo capodanno (directed by Marco Risi, 1998); Branchie (directed by Francesco Ranieri Martinotti, 1999); Io non ho paura and Come Dio comanda (both directed by Gabriele Salvatores, 2003 and 2008), Io e te (directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, 2012). He is the author and director of the docu-film The Goof Life (November 2014).

In January 2017, Niccolò Ammaniti has been awarded a honorary degree in Philology, Literature, and History.